Chapter 127: Eternal Spire (13)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Eternal Spire (13)
"Is this the entrance to the Golden Goblin Dungeon?"
"That's what the map indicated."
It looked too small and shabby for a dungeon entrance.
"Let's head in for now."
"Okay."
As Tia and I stepped into the dungeon entrance, a system message appeared.
[You have entered the Special Grade Dungeon, the Secret Storeroom of the Golden Goblin.]
'A Special Grade Dungeon on the 1st floor. What a score.'
"Seo-yun, there's no information at all about a dungeon like this... Will we be okay?" Tia asked, her face etched with worry.
"It's fine. Let's go deeper inside."
"Okay."
As we walked further in, a massive golden door blocked our path.
Tia's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the door made of pure gold.
"Seo-yun, do you think this is all real gold?"
"Probably."
"If we could just take this with us... we'd be incredibly rich."
"If only it were that easy."
I shrugged and placed my hand on the door. It began to open slowly.
Creeeak…
As the golden door opened, it revealed a hall entirely plated in gold. In the center of the circular hall stood a golden goblin statue, surrounded by three golden doors. Each door had a cryptic phrase written on it.
"Wow…"
Tia looked around in awe.
At that moment, a stone tablet at the base of the golden goblin statue began to glow. As I approached it, a message appeared.
- O, you who seek true wealth
- Pass through the three trials
- Failure brings death, success brings gold.
"Are there no battles?" Tia asked, tilting her head.
"We'll find out after we see what trials this dungeon has in store for us."
I said, looking at the three doors. The words 'Wisdom', 'Courage', and 'Luck' were carved on each one.
"Where should we go first?"
"Let's start with the Door of Wisdom."
[First Trial: Wisdom]
[Answer 3 riddles.]
[You have 3 chances per riddle. If you use all your chances, you will die.]
[First Riddle]
I can only go forward.
I can never go back.
But I can also stay in the same place.
What am I?
"Hmm…"
Tia tilted her head, reading the riddle.
"Only goes forward… can't go back… can stay in the same place…"
"A clock?"
When I said that, Tia shook her head.
"No, a clock keeps moving. It can't stay in the same place."
"Then, age?"
"Age keeps increasing, too. You can't stop it."
I mulled over the phrase once more. It only goes forward… can't go back… but it can stop…
"Ah, I've got it."
I picked up the paper on the altar.
"What is it?"
"The answer is 'the present'."
"The present?"
"Yeah. Time always flows forward, but what we call 'the present' is always 'now'. It's always moving forward, yet it's always in the same place."
I wrote down the answer.
[Correct.]
"You're amazing, Seo-yun…" Tia said in an admiring tone.
Another riddle appeared.
[Second Riddle]
The more you walk it, the shorter it gets.
The more you embrace it, the lighter it becomes.
The more you look at it, the deeper it becomes.
What am I?
"The more you walk it, the shorter it gets…"
Tia muttered, lost in thought. I also began to analyze the phrases one by one.
"The more you embrace it, the lighter it becomes… Hmm…"
Suddenly, an hourglass materialized, its sand slowly beginning to fall.
[Time Limit: 5 minutes]
[If you fail to answer in time, death awaits.]
I calmly reread the phrases. The more you walk it, the shorter it gets… the more you embrace it, the lighter it becomes… the more you look at it, the deeper it becomes…
"Ah, could this be…"
Tia looked at me as if she had just thought of something.
"Go on."
"Um… I think it might be 'life'."
"Why do you think so?"
"The more you walk it, the shorter it gets' probably means that as we live, the rest of our lives gets shorter. 'The more you embrace it, the lighter it becomes' could mean that the more we accept life, the less its weight feels... And 'the more you look at it, the deeper it becomes' means that the more deeply we look into life, the more meaning we discover."
Hearing her answer, I decided to give it a try.
[Correct.]
"Somehow, these feel less like simple riddles and more like philosophical questions."
"I think so, too."
The final riddle appeared.
[Third Riddle]
I am broken when I am made.
I am opened when I am closed.
I am the answer when I am asked.
What am I?
"This one… is a bit difficult."
Tia frowned. The hourglass appeared again.
[Time Limit: 3 minutes]
[This is the final trial.]
"Let's think calmly. Broken when made…"
I carefully analyzed the hints, but nothing came to mind.
"Broken when made… opened when closed… the answer when asked…"
Tia muttered, deep in thought. Her violet eyes slowly closed and opened again.
"Silence…?"
[Correct.]
[You have passed all the trials of Wisdom.]
"Silence is made when sound is broken, and it's created when you close your mouth. And sometimes, silence is the best answer to a question."
"You're smart. Must be because you're a mage."
Tia gave a shy smile at my compliment.
A golden reward chest appeared in the room.
[The reward for the Trial of Wisdom is being distributed.]
[You have acquired a Piece of Wisdom.]
"A Piece of Wisdom?"
I checked the information of the acquired item.
[Piece of Wisdom]
-When three pieces are gathered, the true reward will appear.
"It seems we need to collect them all to get the reward."
"Right. Which door should we take next?"
I looked at the two remaining doors. I had to choose between 'Courage' and 'Luck'.
"Shall we try the Door of Courage?"
"Let's do it."
[Second Trial: Courage]
The door opened to reveal an empty, dark room. The moment we stepped inside, the door slammed shut.
"Seo-yun…"
Tia grabbed my arm, looking anxious. Suddenly, the room lit up brightly, and two enormous mirrors appeared before us.
An inscription was carved below the mirrors.
[True courage is facing yourself.]
[Gaze upon your reflection in the mirror until the end.]
"A mirror…?"
Tia's voice trembled slightly.
At that moment, our reflections in the mirrors began to distort, and a system notification popped up.
[Resisting mental attack.]
'A mental attack?'
I frowned, dismissed the system message, and looked at Tia.
"Ha… haah…"
She was gasping for breath, her face a mask of terror.
'What is she seeing?'
I looked at the mirror reflecting Tia's image. Something that looked exactly like her was speaking to her relentlessly.
[You filthy bitch, you're useless. Seo-yun doesn't love you. He loves other women more than you.]
"This is supposed to be a trial of courage?"
Turning my head to the mirror in front of me, I saw something appear.
The reflection of a hideous, demon-like creature appeared in the mirror. Its eyes, filled with desire and darkness, stared back at me.
The demon in the mirror whispered softly.
"Hehe, I am your ugly and filthy self. What do you think of your dirty, hideous true nature?"
With a blank expression, I looked at the mirror and raised my hand. Then, I lifted my middle finger and said.
"So what?"
"What…?"
The demon in the mirror showed a hint of confusion.
I looked at the mirror, cleaning my ear with my pinky, and said again.
"I said, so what? I already know."
Crack!
The mirror shattered, and the demon's image vanished. I glanced to my side and saw Tia still suffering.
"No, Seo-yun, please don't leave me…"
"Tia, snap out of it."
I grabbed her shoulders and shook her, but she showed no sign of waking up.
"Ah, no! Don't go!!!"
Watching her writhe in agony, I said.
"Tia, I won't abandon you. Not even if your pussy gets loose."
At my words, Tia's body flinched. She slowly turned her head to look at me.
"Seo-yun… really?"
"Yeah."
[Trial Passed]
[You have acquired a Piece of Courage.]
"Feeling better?"
Tia took a shallow breath and grabbed my shoulder.
"Yes… Now only the last door remains."
"Right. Shall we head to the Door of Luck?"
We walked towards the last remaining door. Tia, still looking uneasy, stuck close to my side.
[Third Trial: Luck]
Spin the roulette.
Bet everything and challenge your fate.
Failure results in death.
A golden roulette wheel appeared before us. The wheel was divided into 100 slots, with only a single slot shining gold.
"Seo-yun… this seems dangerous. Deciding everything with luck is absurd!"
Tia clutched my arm.
"Don't worry, I have a way."
I reassured her, walked up to the roulette wheel, grabbed it, and spun.
Whoooosh…
The wheel began to spin intensely. I stared at it and muttered.
"The Luck stat doesn't exist on my status screen for nothing."
The golden arrow spun rapidly as the roulette wheel gradually began to slow down.
Tension filled the room. Tia clasped her hands tightly and held her breath.
The wheel slowed, getting closer and closer to the golden slot. Finally, the arrow came to a stop right on the golden section.
[Trial Passed]
[You have acquired a Piece of Luck.]
"See? No problem at all."
I smiled and turned back to Tia. She stared with her mouth agape before speaking quietly.
"I can't believe it… It really stopped on the golden slot."
"My Luck stat is pretty high."
I shrugged and held up the three pieces. A system message appeared.
[You have cleared the Secret Storeroom of the Golden Goblin.]
[The three pieces have combined to create the Golden Goblin's Treasure Pouch.]
[Golden Goblin's Treasure Pouch]
-Rank: A
Creates a treasure upon use. The value of the treasure depends on the user's luck.
Durability: 100/100
Caution: Becomes unusable when durability is fully depleted.
"Wow… this is… incredible."
Tia marveled after reading the item description.
"Got something pretty useful."
With a satisfied smile, I reached into the pouch and pulled something out.
In my hand was a small golden statuette, small enough to fit in one palm. The statue seemed to depict a man. The item information popped up.
[A Certain Merchant's Miniature]
Rank: C
Increases the owner's Luck by 5.
Special Ability: When making a trade while holding this item, the price of goods is automatically discounted by 10%.
Durability: Permanent
"Wow… this pouch seems like an amazing item. If Yoon Jae-ho found out, he'd be green with envy."
"To think he gifted me a dungeon like this, I should send the guy a present."
Tia chuckled and said.
"A present? Surely you're not actually going to give him something, are you?"
I smiled and turned the statuette over in my hand.
"Of course not. The thought is what counts, right?"
"That's just like you, Seo-yun."
I checked the pouch's durability. It had decreased to 99.
It seemed to decrease by 1 with each use. I put the pouch in my inventory and said.
"Let's head back now. We've gotten more than enough for today."
"Okay!"
Tia followed me with a satisfied smile.